tickle monster

I’ve taken to

telling toddlers

ghost stories,

seeing shadows

where there should not

be shadows

and shutting doors

with small squeak clicks

that echo.

I used to be

a warm velvet

shush shush rub.

I used to be

Nope! No monsters!

Back to sleep!

But all that was

so tiring.

Exhausting.

It’s easier

this way, you know.

Being scary.

David Wasserman is the author of Tiny Footcrunch (Unsolicited Press, 2018) and Dealing: Tarot Poems and Pictures (Unsolicited Press, 2019) in collaboration with Project Runway's Helen Castillo and in support of NYC non-profit Literacy, Inc. He teaches elementary school and lives in Connecticut. www.davidwassermanbooks.com